Studies on the blood fibrinolytic enzyme system of patients with cutaneous vasculitis.

The fibrinolytic enzyme system in thirty-two patients suffering from cutaneous vasculitis was investigated. In five of seven patients with Behçet's disease and in five of thirteen patients with erythema nodosum a significant elongation of euglobulin lysis time was observed. On the other hand, in two patients with allergic vasculitis, a significant shortening of euglobulin lysis time was noticed. In the present study, factors responsible for the change of euglobulin lysis time were sought. It was confirmed that the significant elongation of euglobulin lysis time in patients with erythema nodosum was based on an increase of fibrinogen content in the euglobulin fraction. On the other hand, it was speculated that the significant elongation of euglobulin lysis time in patients with Behçet's disease might be due to an increase of antiactivators in the patients' plasma. In the present study, the authors further investigated the status of this antiactivator which is increased in plasma of patients with Behçet's disease, and proposed the possibility that the increased antiactivator might consist of at least two types of antiactivators, one of which is considered to be alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor.